Computex: Everyone's Got an Android Tablet

By Tuan An Nguyen
published

But things are more than meets the eye.

This year at Computex, everyone talks about how "slow" the show is. From one company to the next, the feeling is the same. The most interesting part is that Android tablets took the show by storm. Everyone's making one. It literally feels like if your company has a showing at Computex, they'll have an Android tablet.

Does this mean that Android tablets will dominate? Not so fast.

Speaking with several vendors who wanted to remain anonymous about the subject, the general conclusion is that you have to get on the Android tablet bandwagon in order to look like you're a legitimate player. However, when asked if things will be competitive with Apple, the unanimous answer is that tablets may just very well be a mainstream success that's exclusive to Apple.

Why?

Platform dominance. Easy user interface. App store eco-system. Users willing to pay for apps.

Some vendors feel like the the majority of Android users expect apps to be free, since the entire essence behind Android is to be "open." And open usually means free. The mindset in the iOS space is that cheap apps are perfectly fine. But vendors tell us that things are not quite the same in the Android camp. Unfortunately, this has lead to fragmented app development.

Hardware fragmentation is another major issue that developers must overcome. Designing your app to look great on one tablet, may end up looking different on another. But manufacturers will fall back on advertisements that tout hardware features rather than platform features.

One interesting detail that some vendors mentioned is that Samsung might be the only company with a fighting chance. This is because Samsung manufactures its own LCD panels, and may be able to subsidized pricing on tablets to be competitive with Apple. It is still difficult for many manufacturers to control their price points due to the fact that their own tablets aren't moving in huge volumes. Apple has massive buying power and can command deeper discounts thanks to the success of the iPad.

We will still have to wait and see how things turn out. It's clear that many companies are pushing for Android tablets but thoughts within their executive teams are, at this time, worrisome.

26 Comments Comment from the forums
  • illo
    they need to push the boundaries more than apple to be competitive, create tablets for artists, get pico-projectors installed for large format displays, dock able keyboards to take the place of laptops for the average user(read: not people who read tech sites). There are soooo many things that people would love to have and could totally benefit from over what Apple is giving us, why cant these companies start innovating and build something interesting for once.
    Reply
  • TwoDigital
    An impressive set of features is nice... if people want them and are willing to pay for them. One of the problems tablet manufacturers have today is that they are in such a hurry to "out-perform" the iPad. In doing so, they put in more hardware, but the useful life of a charge cycle, and price themselves out of the market where they would probably have had a fighting chance. A tablet with a working 8.5x11 screen that will accept either finger or pen input would be great for reading books, painting, writing, etc... A dual-core ARM should more than suffice. All the extra gimmicks add to the price and limit the market for who is willing to buy them. That said... maybe pen input is just a gimmick too, but it's one that *I* would want. :)
    Reply
  • milktea
    illo...why cant these companies start innovating and build something interesting for once.These companies find it more profitable to sell clones rather than be innovative. They have no aim to drive this industry.
    Reply
  • legacy7955
    First of all it's the ECONOMY stupid! Consumers are very strapped and except for Apple iDrones I mean cultists (which also is fairly small market), many folks are going without...because they cannot afford
    Reply
  • sceen311
    Please note, everyone must have a tablet, not everyone must have a netbook, Netbook = fad, tablets = here to stay.
    Reply
  • illo
    legacy7955First of all it's the ECONOMY stupid! Consumers are very strapped and except for Apple iDrones I mean cultists (which also is fairly small market), many folks are going without...because they cannot afford
    first off the world economy is bouncing back, its the US economy that cant figure out how to get itself back together. Many of those people that cant afford the nice toy, probably either didn't go to school, or got a degree in underwater basket weaving.
    Secondly you're a giant douche, people have credit for a reason, they buy stuff they cant afford, its the AMERICAN way. If a tech company were to put decent features that would actually benefit people in tablets, people would buy it with credit. If you want to talk about how thats what got the world into this 'mess' feel free to respond and ill rip you another one about that subject.
    Reply
  • scook9
    legacy7955First of all it's the ECONOMY stupid! Consumers are very strapped and except for Apple iDrones I mean cultists (which also is fairly small market), many folks are going without...because they cannot affordJust because you are struggling does not mean everyone else is. I am 23 and just bought a $3.5k laptop (I know I am a retard and you all will tell me how I could have had a better desktop blah blah blah). People with jobs have money, a lot of them are willing to spend that money.
    Reply
  • GreaseMonkey_62
    Many of these Android tablets have better specs than the iPad, some have worse. In my opinion it's the perception that Apple tablets are better (rev up the hotbed of arguing here). Many of the Android tablets are nice devices and the Android 3.0 is an easy to use interface. The winners will be the manufacturers that are able to have lower priced tablets.
    Reply
  • house70
    Just let the potential consumers decide what they want to spend their money on, and give us some objective reviews of some of these tablets at Computex, without throwing here and there an ipad comparison (that no one wants, anyways), like a good tech site would do.
    Reply
  • GreaseMonkey_62
    9291822 said:
    Please note, everyone must have a tablet, not everyone must have a netbook, Netbook = fad, tablets = here to stay.

    Why must everyone have a tablet? Is there some sort of law?
    Reply